what is the earth’s edge porter scholarship program?
We believe it is essential that our Earth’s Edge teams get the opportunity to progress in their chosen careers. Each year on Kilimanjaro, we reward one of our hardworking porters by paying for their training to become a guide. The course, which costs USD$900, is far beyond the means of most porters who make roughly USD$115, including tips, per climb. After they feed and house their families, there is very little money left at the end of the month. This makes attending guide school virtually impossible. Once they qualify as guides, their pay with tips will increase to roughly USD$220 per climb. This means they will have much more disposable income to feed and educate their families.
Another fantastic benefit of this programme is that it has fostered a healthy sense of competition amongst the porters. This has led to even better levels of service on the mountain!
If you or your company are interested in funding training for one of our porters, be sure to get in touch to explore options.
our porter scholarship program winners
2024 – BRAYSON
Brayson joined us as a porter in 2022, and his hard work and incredible resilience quickly earned him a role as a medical porter on our trips.
He has dreamed of being a guide, but this has always come second to educating his siblings and providing for his family after the loss of his father at an early age. This new career will be life-changing for both him and his family.
He’s fluent in French, and loves football – he’s a diehard Man United fan!
Qualified as a guide: Currently completing training!
2023 – JUMA
Juma was originally a chef, but joined us as a porter after being laid off during the pandemic. He is a member of the tent crew, and has shown great adaptability while learning this new role on the mountain.
He is a father to three wonderful children, and in his spare time he enjoys hiking and (obviously) cooking! He is also fluent in German.
A role as a guide will help him to put all of his underutilised skills to proper use, and will also help better support his family.
Qualified as a guide: Currently completing training!
2022 – ONEST
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Qualified as a guide: March 2023
2021 – SAIDI
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Qualified as a guide: March 2023
2020 – EDSON
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Qualified as a guide: February 2022
2019 – THOMAS
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Qualified as a guide: May 2019
2018 – FUSO
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Qualified as a guide: May 2019
